Studies on the Civilization of Islam

by Gibb,H.A.R.

• ISBN13: 9780415439176
• ISBN10: 0415439175
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-12-25
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Originally published in 1962, this book presents important studies on the history, literature and religion of the Islamic peoples as well as an appraisal of contemporary intellectual currents in the Middle East. Part I interprets the basic political and cultural development in medieval Islam, set in the context of its growth from a religious movement in the Arabian peninsula to an imperial structure extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the borders of China. Part II includes studies of Islamic institutions, philosophy and religion. The close relationship of Islam to Western traditions through the Biblical and Greek heritages is emphasized and the factors which have moulded unique and distinctive institutions are considered.

Table of Contents

Medieval Islamic History
An Interpretation of Islamic History	p. 3
The Evolution of Government in Early Islam	p. 34
Arab-Byzantine Relations under the Umayyad Caliphate	p. 47
The Social Significance of the Shuubiya	p. 62
The Armies of Saladin	p. 74
The Egyptian Army	p. 74
The Syrian and Mesopotamian Contingents	p. 78
The Auxiliary Forces	p. 81
Equipment and Supplies	p. 84
The Achievement of Saladin	p. 89
Tarikh	p. 108
From the Origins to the Third Century of the Hijra	p. 108
From the Third to the Sixth Centuries	p. 119
From the Tenth to the Thirteenth Centuries	p. 134
Islamic Institutions, Philosophy and Religion
Some Considerations on the Sunni Theory of the Caliphate	p. 141
Al-Mawardi's Theory of the Caliphate	p. 151
The Reasons for the Composition of Al-Ahkam as Sultaniyah	p. 151
Analysis of Al-Mawardi's Doctrine	p. 154
The Significance of the "Amirate by Seizure"	p. 162
The Islamic Background of Ibn Khaldun's Political Theory	p. 166
The Structure of Religious Thought in Islam	p. 176
The Animistic Substrate	p. 176
Muhammad and the Koran	p. 187
Law and Theology	p. 196
Sufism	p. 208
Khawatir 61-Adab al-Arabi (Reflections on Arabic Literature)	p. 219
Bad at-Talif al-Nashri (The Beginnings of Prose Composition)	p. 220
Nashet al-Insha (The Development of Literary Style)	p. 231
Contemporary Intellectual Currents
Studies in Contemporary Arabic Literature	p. 245
The Nineteenth Century	p. 245
Manfaluti and the "New Style"	p. 258
Egyptian Modernists	p. 268
The Egyptian Novel	p. 286
The Reaction in the Middle East Against Western Culture	p. 320
Problems of Modern Middle Eastern History	p. 336
Bibliography	p. 345
Index	p. 358
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.